貧困家庭の増大 Poverty Spreads
米国勢調査によれば、貧困家庭が前回調査時より１３０万人増えて４５００万人になった。日本もアメリカ社会と同じ道を歩むのだろうか。
2004 Federal Poverty Guidelines 世帯当たり平均所得 $43,318
Size of Unit 48 Contiguous
Family States and D.C. Alaska Hawaii
1 $ 9,310 $11,63 $10,700
2 12,490 15,610 14,360
3 15,670 19,590 18,020
4 18,850 23,570 21,680
5 22,030 27,550 25,340
6 25,210 31,530 29,000
7 28,390 35,510 32,660
8 31,570 39,490 36,320
For each additional person, add
3,180 3,980 3,660
SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 69, No. 30, February 13, 2004, pp. 7336-7338.
Poverty spreads
Census Bureau says 1.3 million more slipped into poverty last year; health care coverage also drops.
August 26, 2004: 1:54 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to 35.9 million last year, up by 1.3 million, while the number of those without health care insurance rose to 45 million from 43.6 million in 2002, the U.S. government said in a report Thursday.
The percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty rose to 12.5 percent from 12.1 percent -- as the poverty rate among children jumped to its highest level in 10 years, the Census Bureau said in an annual report. The rate for adults 18-to-64 and 65-and-older remained steady.
The bureau also said the share of aggregate income for the lowest 20 percent of Americans fell to 3.4 percent from 3.5 percent.
Children and most racial minorities again fared worse than the overall population in 2003, according to the Census report. The rate of child poverty rose to 17.6 percent from 16.7 percent in 2002 -- boosting the number of poor children to 12.9 million.
The poverty rate of of African Americans remained nearly twice the national rate, with 24.4 percent of blacks living below the poverty line in 2003, slightly higher from 24.1 percent a year earlier.